Georgia Pines
by kclaura2003
Summary: Sophia gets her first crush on Daryl but when he asks her to help him find something that she also really likes - will she be able to help him? AU, no walkers.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! Thanks for reading and please remember to review! :)**

**First of all, this is very much based on "A White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett. If you've never read that story; I highly recommend it - it's a great classic short story. No plagiarism is intended. **

**This is AU. There are no walkers present in this although they are slightly alluded to. I kind of made the group into one big happy farm family - nothing wrong with that, huh? :P**

**Also, Sophia's crush on Daryl is very innocent - nothing pervy or pedophilic about this. **

**This was meant to be a one-shot but I broke it up into chapters to make it easier to read. **

**I do not own The Walking Dead. Enjoy!**

_I am so gonna get in big trouble with Mama for this! _Sophia Peletier thought as she strolled her way through the woods. Sophia knew she wasn't supposed to be out there, all by herself, wandering around aimlessly because it was dangerous to do so. There were…things…lurking out there; dangerous creatures that showed no mercy on their prey. However, Sophia sometimes felt the urge to get away from Hershel's house and explore the nature his land had to offer.

If there was one thing Sophia liked about the new life she was living now; it was most definitely the countryside. Sophia did not miss the hustle and bustle of Atlanta at all: the five lanes of traffic, the enormous skyscrapers, and the herds of people everywhere. As she walked softly through the woods, running her hands across the bark of the skinny, tall pine trees, Sophia concluded she was really a country girl at heart. It wasn't the first time Sophia retreated into the woods: she would sneak off when everybody else was preoccupied and go into the woods, fascinated by the all the sights and sounds. She would hear squirrels and rabbits scurrying to and fro and toward the evening hours she'd hear the cicadas creak. She especially loved hearing the bird calls from robins, to doves, to the whippoorwill and sometimes, a hawk.

It was early evening, the sun beginning to set in the west. The sky was becoming the dark blue shade it turned right before the sun went down. Sophia knew it was time to go back no matter how badly she wanted to stay. Sophia turned around and began to make the trek back to the farm house. She never wandered too far out of fear she might loose her way.

As she walked along, Sophia heard a twig snap somewhere perpendicular to her. She paused for a moment and then she continued on assuming it was most likely a harmless critter running off; frightened at the sight of her. Sophia had only taken a few more steps before she heard the noise again followed the scuffing of feet. There was somebody else there in the woods with her and they were close.

She quickly hid herself behind the thickest tree trunk she could find and prayed whoever it was…_whatever_ it was would walk right on by. Sophia leaned her back up against the trunk of the tree, her hands nervously wringing the bottom of her T-shirt, and her heart pumping wildly in her chest as she heard the footsteps come closer.

"Sophia!" an angry man's voice drawled.

Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. _It's only Daryl. _She thought.

"C'mon now; ain't got time for this." Sophia heard him mutter to himself.

"Sophia! Where ya at, girl?! I know you're there…git out here!" Daryl yelled again and Sophia cringed at the tone of his voice.

_Boy, is he mad at me! _She thought apprehensively. _I bet Mama and the others sent him out here to look for me. I bet they're all mad at me!_

Reluctantly, Sophia poked her head out from around the tree and saw Daryl standing there, his back turned to her, crossbow slung over his shoulder and his hands on his hips just above the belt of squirrels he had just killed.

"Sophia!" Daryl yelled again and Sophia cleared her throat and carefully took two steps forward.

"I'm right here, Daryl," she said, softly.

Daryl whirled around so fast it startled Sophia and her eyes widened as she saw him reaching for his crossbow. When he realized it was her, he dropped his hand but his face remained stern.

"Sophia!" He exclaimed, blue eyes narrowing. "What's the matter wit ya, girl?! You gotta death wish or somethin'? How many times have we told ya - you can't be runnin' 'round out here!"

Sophia shifted nervously and eyed the ground. "I'm sorry," She whispered.

Daryl scoffed. "You're sorry?! You're sorry, huh? Yeah well, I tell you what, missy…one of these days - you're gonna be sorry! Runnin' your mama half crazy with you up and disappearin' all the time…and neither me or anybody else got the time to play hide and seek! You understand me, girl?!"

Sophia nodded as she slowly hung her head in shame.

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to ya!" Daryl barked as he hastily strode over to where to Sophia stood.

She carefully lifted her head up to face him, eyes as big as saucers and glistening with tears. The way Daryl was yelling at her reminded Sophia of her father.

_Daddy used to shout at Mama and me like that. _Sophia remembered solemnly. _He would only shout at me but sometimes…he did more than just shout at Mama…_

Sophia's thoughts must have shown on her face because Daryl immediately took a step backwards and his countenance softened.

"Hey, hey…there, there," He said as he gently placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to holler at ya. It's just…well, you can't be out here by yo'self anymore, OK?"

Sophia nodded and wiped at her eyes, proud she didn't cry.

"Awlright then," Daryl said, firmly, apparently glad the issue was solved. He moved his arm to shift the strap of his crossbow where he wanted it to be on his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the farm house.

"Let's go," He said and to Sophia's surprise he held out his hand to her. Sophia curiously stared at Daryl's hand and then looked up to his face and saw he was smiling warmly at her. She knew he didn't smile often but when he did; it was almost impossible not to smile back.

She tentatively placed her hand in his and felt the warmth of his palm and the tight yet soft squeeze of his fingers on hers. As she let him lead her back to the house; she felt butterflies in her stomach.

_So this is what it's like to hold hands with a boy! _She thought giddily. _Only Daryl's not a "boy" - Carl is a boy. Daryl is a "grown-up". Like a grown-up boy! I'm holding hands! Tee hee hee…I'm like Maggie and Beth now. All grown-up and holding hands - with a boy!_

Hand in hand, they walked through the thicket up to Hershel's house. Carol, Sophia's mother, was standing on the wrap around porch near the swinging bench. Even from the distance, Sophia could see her mother's hands on her hips and her brow wrinkled with concern. As they approached the porch, Carol's face went from concerned to relief in a matter of seconds.

Carol went over to Sophia and hugged her tightly. She looked up at Daryl and gave him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you so much, Daryl," She said as she squeezed Sophia so tightly to her chest, the little girl couldn't help but squirm at little bit.

_Why does she always have to be so overprotective of me?! _Sophia thought, annoyed.

Daryl nodded. "No problem," He uttered nonchalantly and went on into the house.

Carol knelt down to her daughter's level and smoothed back her strawberry blonde hair.

"Sophia, honey…You have to quit doing this. It makes your mama really upset."

Sophia nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'll stop." She glanced down at the porch then not wanting her mother to possibly read her face and know she was lying.

"Good girl," Carol said and with that she took Sophia's hand and led her inside the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was boring as usual, sitting at the long dining table with it's white satin tablecloth, and the grown-ups passing plates of food around making idle chit-chat. Sophia sat in between Carol and Carl, poking her food around with a fork with one hand, and leaning her head, bored, on the other. To her right, Carol gently nudged her and motioned with her fork to tell Sophia to eat while on Sophia's left, Carl kept trying to push his peas off onto her plate. She would poke him under the table with her butter knife every time he tried to do it causing Carl to jump sporadically and gaining him puzzled and irritated glances from his father and mother, Rick and Lori, seated on his left side.

"So Daryl, did you find what you were looking for today?" Dale asked Daryl as he leaned over Andrea to look at him. "Other than Sophia, of course." Dale added, with a wink in her direction.

Dale, Andrea, and Daryl were sitting across the table from the Peletiers. Daryl shook his head in disappointment as he chewed on a piece of meat.

"No, sir." He answered, still looking down at his plate. "It's the damnest elusive bird ever."

"Daryl's been trying to find a great blue heron," Dale explained to everybody.

"Aw, that's such a pretty bird." Andrea commented. She turned to Daryl and asked: "Why are you hunting down that bird when there's plenty of doves and quails out there you could get?"

"He's not gonna kill it for it's meat, 'Drea." Dale cut in before Daryl could speak. "He just wants it for himself. You know, to taxidermy it. To make a trophy so to speak."

"A great blue heron?" T-Dog asked from the other side of the table. "Those are them funny looking birds that like to hang out by the water, aren't they?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. Swamps, marshes, any kind of wetland is where they like to be. They like eatin' on fish, frogs, bugs…really anything they can swallow but mostly the stuff that lives on the water."

"What does it look like again?" Glenn asked casually as he shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

Simultaneously Andrea replied with "pretty" and T-Dog answered with "ugly". They both shot each other are-you-kidding-me looks.

"C'mon, Andrea." T-Dog laughed. "You know that bird is butt ugly. And the way it squawks too -" T-Dog did an over exaggerated impression of the bird that made everybody laugh. "I swear, it sounds like it can't stop hiccupping!" He concluded.

"It's like gray-blue kind of color," Daryl was explaining now. "It's fairly big…It's got a long pointy orange and yeller beak…Has a black stripe runnin' down its head and it's face is mostly white."

Sophia sat up at the description of the bird Daryl was giving. She had seen that bird. She didn't know what kind of bird it was at the time but now she knew. Sophia agreed partly with Andrea: it was a striking, albeit an unique looking bird, but Sophia also had to agree with T-Dog as well: it's squawk wasn't so attractive.

"Well Daryl," Hershel spoke. "There is a river not too far back in the woods and beyond that there is a little marsh. I betcha that's where you can find that bird."

Daryl nodded in the old farmer's direction. "Yes, sir. That's where I was today. Heard it croakin' too. But I figure it's nest is somewhere 'round close by…since they like to nest up in them trees. If only I knew where that nest was…"

Sophia felt a hand rubbing on her back and realized it was her mother.

"I betcha Sophia here knows where it is." Carol smiled down at her daughter. "Since she's _always_ runnin' off into the woods even when she's not supposed to! I betcha there isn't a square inch of this land she doesn't know now by heart."

Carol gave Sophia a quick squeeze but all Sophia felt was her cheeks flushing from embarrassment. She didn't like it when her mother called attention to her; it made her nervous.

"Hey, don't you worry about it, Sophia." Dale said to Sophia , pointing at her with his fork. "If I was your age again ; I'd be runnin' round out there in the woods too. Heck, when I was a boy it was all my mama and daddy could do to keep me inside -"

The conversation about finding the bird was over now and the grown-ups went on to talk about other things. Sophia lifted her fork to poke at her food some more but she caught the eye of Daryl who was now staring at her curiously; a slight grin on his face. Sophia tentatively smiled back at him, remembering the warmth of his hand holding hers. She felt her cheeks flush again and she adverted her eyes back to plate; wishing dinner could just be over already.

It was later that night, when Sophia was helping with the dishes, that she heard Daryl ask her mother if he could speak with her a minute. Sophia strained to hear what the two grown-ups were saying but it was her mother's voice she could hear the clearest.

Daryl asked Carol a question.

"Would it be OK if I took Sophia -" mumble, mumble.

"Oh, I don't know, Daryl." Carol answered. "I just don't think that would be a good idea."

Mumble, mumble, mumble. Something along the lines of: "I'll keep an eye on her"…mumble, mumble came from Daryl.

"Yeah, but I finally just got through to her about her _not _to going into the woods by herself…besides, I just said that at dinner…there's no telling if she can really help you with that or not. " Carol said.

"But she'll be with me." Daryl countered. "You can trust me with her."

A pause from Carol's side. Sophia listened intently. "OK, Daryl." Carol sighed. "But you better watch her like a hawk, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."

_Is Daryl going to take me hunting with him? _Sophia thought, confused. _I don't know anything about hunting_. She then remembered the conversation about the great blue heron at dinner and how her mother mentioned her "knowing every square inch of land". Sophia felt her heart flutter when she recalled the way Daryl was looking at her and smiling after Carol had made that comment.

_The great blue heron! _Sophia thought. _He wants me to help him find the bird! _


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Sophia waited eagerly for her mother to come tell her that Daryl wanted to take her hunting with him. She sat on the porch playing a game of jacks with Carl and when she heard footsteps approaching from behind, she expected to hear her mother's soft voice. Instead she heard the unmistakable Southern drawl:

"Hey Carl, mind if I steal your playmate for a lil 'while?"

Carl and Sophia both turned to look at Daryl. Sophia couldn't help but smile at the sight of him.

"Yeah, sure," Carl replied casually. "I _won _anyway," he bragged looking quite pleased with himself. He went to scoop up the jacks.

"Did _not_!" Sophia protested as she threw the little red rubber balls at him. Carl responded by throwing the plastic jacks at her all the while Daryl only shook his head and laughed.

"Awlright, knock it off you two...Sophia, come with me." He offered her his hand and that crooked grin of his.

Delighted, Sophia took Daryl's hand and walked away with him. When she turned around to glance back at Carl, he was picking up the jacks, but also watching them with a curious expression.

_Carl's probably jealous. _Sophia thought, amused. _I got a new boyfriend now! Tee hee hee…_

"So your mama said ya know the land pretty well, ain't that right, girl?" Daryl was saying to Sophia now.

She looked up at him, into his ever-grimy, albeit handsome face and nodded.

"Yeah, sort of." She knew most of the land but deep down was afraid she wouldn't be able to help Daryl find what he was looking for.

"I brought ya along wit me so you help me find that bird we's talkin' about at supper last night." Daryl explained, unaware the little girl already knew what he was doing.

They walked hand in hand across the pasture and toward the woods. As they approached the thicket leading into the dense forestry, Daryl abruptly stopped walking and let Sophia's hand drop out of his hand. He knelt on one knee, lowering himself down to her level and reached in his back pocket and pulled out a pocket knife and held it out to her.

"This is for you," Daryl said. "Just a little somethin' that may come in handy some day for ya…take good care of it now and don't tell yer mama I gave it to ya."

Sophia felt herself smiling so hard she thought the corners of her mouth were going to crack. She took the knife from Daryl and held it the palm of her hand. It wasn't anything fancy; just a simple pocket knife with a short, fat, sharp blade and a wooden handle.

Daryl took it from her hand and quickly showed her how to flick it open, how the locking mechanism worked, how to release it, and basic safety tips on how to use it.

He placed it back in her palm and gently closed her fingers around it and once again told her to "take good care of it".

"Yes, sir," Sophia replied, giddy inside. No boy had ever given her a "gift" before and now she knew how Maggie and Beth must feel when Glenn and Jimmy bring them flowers.

_Forget the flowers…_Sophia thought, excitedly. _I got a pocket knife! From the coolest boy ever!_

Sophia followed close behind Daryl as they walked quietly through the woods. Sophia took in all the sights and sounds she loved so much about the woods. She loved to look straight up and see the forest canopy; sometimes when she went to the woods by herself she would lay down on the ground and look up and she felt like the pine trees went on forever and forever - all the way up to the sky and beyond.

As she followed behind Daryl, Sophia stared at him curiously. There were many things about him that seemed kind of scary to her: his crossbow, his scruffy, shaggy hair, the constant grime all over his face, neck, arms, and hands, that hillbilly way he talked, the scowl he usually wore. Sophia figured back in her old life, when she didn't know Daryl, she would have ran away from the sight of him if they would have ever crossed paths.

However, there were lots of things about him she did like: the wings on the back of his vest, his motorcycle, his blue eyes, how kindly he treated her mother and looked out for everybody else and his rare, occasional smile. What Sophia liked most about Daryl was his love of the woods. She didn't know much about his background, she had heard that he had an older brother somewhere, but Sophia figured Daryl spent most of his childhood growing up in the woods. She sometimes would almost envy him; that he, as a child, could roam around the forest without a care in the world; without an overprotective parent like Carol fretting over him every second. She liked how he loved the outdoors as she did and in her heart right then the idea came to her: they were a perfect match - the backwoods born hunter and the city-turned-country girl - perfect for each other.

Sophia had once heard Maggie talking to Beth about Glenn and she had said something like: "Me and Glenn have so much in common; I know it's true love!" and now Sophia understood what the older Greene girl had meant.

Sophia and Daryl combed the woods for hours, going down by the marsh, along the rivers and ravines but ended up going home unsuccessful in finding the unique bird.

During the outing, Sophia would flinch each time Daryl fired a bolt at an unsuspecting squirrel or rabbit. She knew why he did what he did but she still couldn't help but frown at the poor lifeless animals strung up around Daryl's waist. She would also watch the shotgun he toted on his back and the way it slightly bounced with each step he took. Sophia felt her stomach drop when she realized the gun was for the bird they were searching for and she quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss the image from her young mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, in the bed she shared with her mother, Sophia laid wide awake on her side looking out the bedroom window toward the woods. She watched the sheer curtains dance in the breeze coming from the vent in the floor. She looked out at the night; nighttime was so beautiful in the country - the sky a deep dark blue and the stars could actually be seen without the streetlights of the suburbs to interfere. Sophia listened the sound of an owl hooting in the distance, loving its call, but also a little creeped out by it too.

Sophia let her arm drop down by the side of the bed and felt around underneath the mattress. She had hidden the pocketknife Daryl had given her knowing that Carol would have made her give back to him if her mother had seen her with it. When she found it she placed it right beside her head on the pillow. Sophia stared at it, running her fingers over it, familiarizing herself with the texture of the knife. She felt butterflies again in her stomach at the memories of Daryl: him holding her hand, him smiling at her from across the dinner table, him kneeling down to her level to give her the pocketknife. It made her feel so giddy inside. Sophia felt so excited she wanted to jump up and run around, do cartwheels, back flips, and somersaults - she felt like she could walk on air if she wanted to.

_This must be what love feels like. _Sophia thought, smiling. _This must be what Maggie and Beth feel everyday with their boyfriends. Ah, Daryl! Who would think I'd ever like Daryl this way? Sure, he can be kind of scary but he is kind of cute in a weird sort of way…and he likes the woods just like me! And he gave me a gift! Boys only give gifts to girls they like, right? We are perfect for each other! Well, he is a little older than me…like, A LOT older than me…But I'll be grown up in no time. In four more years I'll be as old as Beth and in…hold on…one, two, three, four, five…in about ten years I'll be Maggie's age…that's not too long of a wait, is it? Oh, I wish I could get Daryl a gift. To show him I like him. Not just like but "like -like" him. But what could I give him? Maybe I could draw him a picture. No… That's stupid; I'm not in kindergarten anymore! I know, maybe I could braid him a bracelet?! No…boys don't wear bracelets…Oh, what should I do?_

Sophia heard the hoot of the owl again and she raised up to look out at the woods. She brushed her thumb over the pocketknife and quietly sucked in her breath as the idea came to her:

_I'm going to find the great blue heron. That's it! I'll find the bird's nest and I'll lead Daryl straight to it and he'll be so proud of me! He will like me back for sure if I could do this for him…he'd love me forever and ever. _

Sophia glanced over to see Carol sound asleep. She smiled because she always thought her mother looked so peaceful while sleeping. Sophia carefully slipped out of the bed and tip-toed around the room. She put on her tennis shoes and a pair of shorts in which she slipped the little knife in her pocket. Ever so quietly, Sophia tip-toed to the window, raised it up and crawled backwards outside, making sure Carol did not wake up. Sophia didn't worry about lowering the window pane because her mother was a deep sleeper and Sophia figured it wouldn't take her much time to find what she was looking for.

Sophia crept around to the corner of the farm house, keeping her head down out of sight of any windows and quickly glanced around to make sure nobody was around.

She then took off running toward the woods. Nighttime in the woods was like another world. The full moon and the glowing stars above were the only sources of light Sophia had in order to maneuver through the maze of skinny pine trees. Sophia kept her right hand in her pocket, on the knife, and she glanced over her shoulder from time to time to make sure there wasn't predatory creatures or critters following her. She watched where she stepped as well, fearing a snake might slither out and bite her ankle.

Sophia slowly worked her way down to the marsh. The moon gave off a greenish glow on the murky water, the cattails danced in the mild breeze, the sound of frogs croaking filled the air. She loved the sound of the cicadas too; how loud they got in late afternoon and then at night to low chirping. Just underneath the surface of the water, little tadpoles swam frantically to and fro and crickets skipped across the top of the water.

Every sight and every sound was magical to Sophia. She dipped her hand in the water and let it trickle through her fingers.

Suddenly, just over head, there was a "_Roh-roh-roh-roh!" _call. It was the great blue heron. Sophia looked around every which way but did not spot the bird. She figured it was close by and it had just flown back to it's nest.

Sophia found the closest tree to her, walked over to it and looked up. The trunk of the skinny pine tree didn't offer much foothold but she decided to give it a shot. Sophia wrapped herself around the tree and began to pull herself up. She could feel the bark scraping her legs but she kept climbing, all the way to the top. The branches were too skinny and fragile looking for her to sit on so Sophia clung the tree as tightly as she could looking out over the forest.

It was beyond anything she had ever imagined. She felt like she could see everything there was to see for miles. It was then, she saw it, the bird. It was only a few trees over and he nested with his mate in their thorny nest of twigs and various forest debris. The pair was hunkered down together, their long slender necks curved into a S shape. The female ruffled her feathers and shifted around every once in awhile and Sophia wondered if maybe she was incubating eggs underneath herself.

The sight was so fascinating; so mesmerizing that Sophia lost track of time and didn't realize that the dark blue sky of the night was giving way to the pinkish color of dawn. A single tear fell down her cheek as she then came to the conclusion that she couldn't tell Daryl where to find the birds. Sophia couldn't bear the thought of the birds dying for no real purpose at all.

Sophia carefully lowered herself down from the tree, all the while leaving burns and scratches all over her legs. The sun was rising steadily now and she'd have to hurry to make it back to the house before everybody, though mostly Carol, woke up. As Sophia ran, sad thoughts invaded her mind.

_I can't tell Daryl where the blue herons are…I can't let them die! They're too beautiful. Everything out there is too beautiful…Oh, all I wanted was for Daryl to like me…now he never will! _


	5. Chapter 5

As Sophia tore through the thicket toward Hershel's house, she saw she was too late. There on the large, wrap around porch stood just about everybody: Hershel, Rick and Lori, T-Dog, Dale, Andrea, and Glenn and Maggie. All them were clustered together talking amongst themselves. On the other side of the porch, over where the swinging bench was, stood Carol and Daryl: Sophia's mother waving her arms angrily, pointing at Daryl then to the woods. Even from where she walked now Sophia could see the outrage on her mother's face and Daryl standing there, his head hung with embarrassment, then he would look up and mouth something back to her - the two clearly in an argument.

Sophia slowed her steps down and tentatively approached closer and closer until someone yelled out:

"Hey Carol, look! There she is!"

And Carol abruptly stopped fussing at Daryl and her eyes widened at the sight of her daughter and to Sophia's and everybody else's surprise, Carol hopped over the porch rail and ran toward Sophia. Everybody slowly began to trail behind the overly anxious widow.

Sophia paused and let her mother embrace her in what could have almost been a football style tackle. Carol squeezed Sophia so hard that the little girl thought all of the air inside her was being depleted.

Carol knelt on the ground, gripping Sophia's arms tightly and looked sternly into her face.

"Where in God's name have you been, Sophia?!" Carol exclaimed. "Have you been out all night? How many times have I told you not do this? You can't run off like this…you just can't!"

"I'm sorry, Mama." Sophia said. "I'm sorry but I just had to do it."

Carol shook her head in disbelief. "You had to do it?" She repeated, incredulous. "What for?!"

Everybody had gathered around then and they were all watching. Sophia wanted nothing more but to disappear into thin air. She could feel her face flushing; hot tears building up on her eyelids.

"Answer me, young lady!" Carol demanded. "What made you do it this time?"

"I just wanted to find the bird for Daryl." Sophia stammered.

Carol immediately glanced to her left and shot an angry glare at the hunter in which he took a step back and put his hands up in surrender.

"I swear to God, Carol." Daryl defended himself. "I swear to you; I had nuthin' to do with any of this!"

Carol scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "I should have _never_ let you take her out there! I knew it would only fill her head with ideas to keep running around out there…I should have known better than -"

"It's not his fault, Mama!" Sophia cried. She felt the tears rolling down her face. "Stop yelling at him; it's not his fault! It was me! It was all me! I did it!" She angrily wrestled her way out of Carol's grip on her arms.

"It was me! Yell at me! And I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine; you don't need to freak out over me every second!"

Carol's eyes flashed angrily then and before Sophia knew what happened; Carol had her spun around and she smacked her bottom so hard it stung.

"Don't you dare talk back to me, Sophia." Carol warned, her voice even but with an edge. She pointed a finger at Sophia and spoke again: "Don't you dare _ever_ talk to me like that again, you hear me?"

Sophia let the tears fall down her cheeks. Everybody stood awkwardly around; some carefully crept away; wanting to escape the tension the scene was giving. Some looked on; not sure what to say or do next - if they should even interfere at all. Sophia felt her face hot with anger and embarrassment. What she hated most, was not her mother's scolding itself, but the fact that she had done it in front of everybody, especially Daryl. Sophia felt the pocketknife in her shorts. She remembered the blue herons and her feelings for Daryl and her feelings for the life of the birds and how they both conflicted with one another. She really liked Daryl and wanted nothing more for him to like her back but she couldn't tell him where to find the birds. She just couldn't do it.

Sophia pulled out the pocketknife and chucked it hopelessly at Daryl's feet.

"I'm sorry, Daryl," Sophia blubbered through tears. "I'm sorry; I just can't tell you where they are!"

And with that Sophia brushed past everybody and ran inside the house - past a confused Carl, Beth and Jimmy all of whom had just woken up - and went into her bedroom, shut the door and turned the lock on the door handle. The window she had climbed out of during the night was now shut. Sophia flung herself onto the bed, letting the mattress bounce around, and cried softly into the pillow. Nobody followed her; nobody came knocking on the door and Sophia was glad. She just wanted to sulk and she didn't feel like explaining herself to anyone.

_How could any of them possibly understand? _She thought, sadly.

After awhile, a soft knocking came on the door followed by the rattling of the handle.

"Sophia?" Carol's muffled voice came from the other side. "Sophia, honey. Open this door."

Sophia debated whether or not to open the door. She wiped at her eyes; sore from crying. She finally hopped up off the bed and went to the door and unlocked it. Carol slowly opened the door and peeked in. Sophia only stared at her mother for a moment and then she turned and went back to lay down on bed facing the window. She could see the men of the house out there working in the fields; Daryl driving the John Deere tractor.

Sophia felt the bed dip when Carol sat down next to her. She felt her mother's hand gently stroking her strawberry blonde hair.

"Sophia, honey," Carol began. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a scene like that…I know it must have embarrassed you. And you know what? I'm a little ashamed of myself too."

Carol paused and then leaned down to kiss the top of Sophia's head.

"I know I worry too much," Carol said. "I know I smother you sometimes but I can't help it, honey. You're all I've got left; I can't stand the thought of anything ever happening to you."

Sophia felt Carol pull on her shoulder to make her roll over and face her mother. Carol wasn't angry anymore; her face back to its usual soft countenance.

"Now," said Carol. "Tell me what's got you so upset. I know it's something more than just your mama yelling at you in front everybody."

Sophia groaned and tried roll back over but Carol wouldn't let her.

"C'mon, Sophia," Carol pressed. "Tell me. Is it about them birds?" She paused, bit her lip and a knowing grin spread across her face.

"Or is it about…_Daryl_?" There was a hint of teasing in Carol's voice and Sophia rolled over again; not wanting to let her mother see her face because then she would know - yes, it was about Daryl.

Carol wasn't going to let Sophia off the hook. Instead she rolled her back over, in which Sophia would fight it and try to roll over again but Carol was much quicker and stronger. She began to tickle Sophia all the while teasing her.

"It is, isn't it?" Carol chuckled. "This is all about Daryl…you got a crush on him, sweetie?"

Sophia tried to fight off her mother's tickling but she couldn't stop giggling.

"Yeah," Sophia finally confessed. "I do have a crush on him." She looked into her mother's eyes then expecting to see worry or disappointment but Sophia only saw understanding.

Carol nodded. "I figured so. Daryl gave you that knife, didn't he? That one you threw on the ground?"

Sophia nodded.

"And you went out into the woods to find those birds for him, didn't you?" Carol asked.

Sophia nodded again and went on to explain:

"Daryl gave me that pocketknife the day he took me hunting with him. I know it's just a pocketknife but…no boy has ever given me a gift before, you know? It made me feel so special. I wanted to give him something but I didn't know what. And then I thought: if I found the herons' nest - that would be the perfect gift for him! So that's why I did that."

Carol stroked Sophia's hair and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Aw…so did you find the birds?"

"Yeah," Sophia replied.

"So why did you say you couldn't tell him where they are?"

Sophia sniffled. "Because I don't want them to die."

Carol smiled and leaned down to give her daughter a little hug.

"Aw, honey…You're just like your mother. Wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Yeah but," Sophia let out a frustrated sigh. "What now? Now Daryl will never like me back."

Carol began chuckling and Sophia wrinkled her brow at her; annoyed that her mother found her sorrow so amusing.

"Oh, Sophia, honey…" Carol laughed. "Don'tcha think Daryl's a _little _too old for you?"

Sophia then explained the math she did in her head the night before; figuring she'd be sixteen in four years and twenty-two in ten. This only made Carol laugh harder.

"Oh no, no, no!" Carol shook her head, smiling. "No, no, baby. You don't get it; Daryl is _much_, _much _older than you…he's old enough to be your daddy, sweetheart. I'm sorry to disappoint you but I don't think the two of you as a couple is in the cards."

Sophia frowned and huffed a little bit. She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled over. Surprisingly, Carol didn't make her turn over again. Instead, she only rubbed Sophia's back as she spoke:

"It's normal, though." Carol reassured her. "What you're feeling and all… You're growing up on me! What I am going to do?"

"I like the way he holds my hand sometimes," Sophia whispered now as she looked out the window at Daryl and the others working. "I like his angel wings on his vest, his blue eyes, and his smile…when he does smile. And mostly, I like how he likes the outdoors too, like me."

"Aw, Sophia," Carol said. "He's your first crush. You always remember your first crush. I remember mine. Billy Bob Taylor…Yep, that was his name." Carol laughed then. "I always thought it was funny he had three first names…he lived down the street from me and sat in front of me in school and…well, I'm sure you don't care. Anyway, all I'm saying is: it's OK. It's a normal part of growing up. And you'll have other crushes too…just make sure they're on somebody closer to your age." Carol stood up then and leaned down and kissed Sophia's head.

"I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Mom," Sophia whispered back.

Later that afternoon, after dinner and chores, and the day was winding down, Sophia wandered out to the porch swing and sat down on it. She looked out toward the woods but had no urge to go explore. She swung her legs lazily, barely making the swing move. Fireflies danced around and occasionally Sophia felt the bite of a mosquito on her arms or on her legs and swatted at it. As she gazed up at the stars coming out she heard the swing make a creaking noise and she turned to see Daryl sitting next to her.

Sophia shifted nervously, wondering if her mother told him about her crush on him. She felt her cheeks flush and her heart skip a beat.

"Hey there," Daryl said. "Nice night, huh?" He stretched out his left arm over the back of the swing.

Sophia only nodded in response to his comment and adverted her eyes. She still felt embarrassed at her behavior that morning.

Daryl fished something out of his pocket with his other hand and present the pocketknife to Sophia once again.

"Hey, I think ya dropped this, young lady." He said. "What did I tell ya about takin' good care of it?" He grinned as he held it out to her.

Sophia smiled and took the knife. She held it in her palm for a moment, stared at it, and then slipped it into her pocket.

"Yer mama told me to tell you it's OK for you to keep that, by the way," Daryl told her. Sophia raised her eyebrows in surprise but Daryl only nodded his head as if to say it was the truth. She fidgeted then not quite sure what to say to him.

"Did Mom talk to you?" Sophia asked, shyly. "About me?" She couldn't bring herself to look him in the face.

Daryl chuckled. "Yeah, she sure did! You saw it, didn't ya? She chewed me out good...She was so sure I put you up to that…but she's cooled off now. She felt so bad for hollerin' at me but I told her it ain't no big thang…"

"No," Sophia cut Daryl off. "No, that's not what I meant…I meant, did she tell you about-"

She couldn't finish her sentence. Instead, she only looked down at her feet, dangling off the side of the swing. Daryl was so tall he couldn't dangle his feet even if he wanted to. He had both feet planted on the porch and he was pushing off with his knees; making the swing rock back and forth.

After a long pause Daryl spoke:

"Ya find them herons?"

Sophia nodded, solemnly. "Yeah, I did. But I can't tell you where they are."

"How come?"

"Because…" Sophia paused and fidgeted some more. She finally looked him in the eyes. "Because I don't want them to die."

Daryl was watching her curiously. Sophia noticed, even in the dim porch light, that the hillbilly cleaned up rather well. His hair looked damp from the shower and he had on fresh clothes. He didn't appear angry or frustrated or even disappointed in her. He only watched her with a slight grin and soft expression. He motioned to her with his head and beckoned with his fingers.

"C'm here," He said.

Sophia hesisitated.

"I ain't gonna bite 'cha!" Daryl teased.

Sophia smiled and scooted over to where he sat. Daryl wrapped a single arm around her and pulled her in close. Sophia let her head rest on his chest and she breathed in his scent: soap from the shower, the leather of his vest, and some kind of after shave.

"It's awlright, Sophia." Daryl said. "If you don't want to tell me; it's fine."

"Please don't be mad at me," Sophia pleaded but Daryl only chuckled.

"Honey, I ain't mad at ya! It's OK… I'll tell ya what: I won't look for them birds no more. How's that?"

Sophia glanced up at him, saw him looking straight down at her and he winked. Sophia giggled.

"OK," She agreed. "I'd like that."

Sophia put her head back on Daryl's chest and to her surprise he smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead.

"You're a doll, Sophia. Don't ever change."

Sophia smiled. "I won't."

"Let's go on inside, awlright?" Daryl said now, gently pushing Sophia off of him. "Them skeeters eatin' me up out here. How can you stand wearin' them shorts, girl?"

Sophia only laughed in response and Daryl offered her his hand. Sophia took Daryl's hand in hers and let him lead her back inside but not before she took one more look back at the Georgia pines.

The End.


End file.
